Crewing the ARC - what to pack (and not to take)?

[Poignard]

Do the crews still have to jump into the Marina Bar pool wearing whatever! on arrival then down the Pint Rum Punch? With attendees to the bar staff encouraging you to buy more Rum Punches? as if anyone needed encouragement to quaff more Rum Punches?:encouragement:

I don't remember doing that but I do remember walking unsteadily up the pontoon to meet my wife, and that was before I had a drink; the effect of more than 3 weeks at sea.

Another sensation I remember from my last night watch alone before arriving was a sudden desire to carry on and not stop. It wasn't that I had any problems waiting for me at home but just the thought of giving up the simple undemanding life at sea for the everyday trivia of life ashore: a living to be earned, a house to maintain, cars to be serviced, bank accounts, insurances, news etc. Anyway, the feeling didn't last (no Moitessier I) and it was good to fly home to family and friends.

 

[GHA]

Hope he took some earplugs..... AIS alarms must be beeping away right now

 

[capnsensible]

Looking at the local forecast for the next few hours, this is a bit of a thread about drift......

 

[dunedin]

ARC - tick. :encouragement:

 

[iain789]

ARC - tick. :encouragement:

Congratulations!

 

[Birdseye]

What other packing tips from the experts?

Dont know about "expert" but IMO you cannot be happy and dirty. So soap and toothpaste and washing powder and paper tissues. Three pairs quick drying grundies, 2 quick dry shirts, ditto shorts, lightweight oilies. You can fly wearing dubarries if you wish but I would go for deck shoes. 2 x sunglasses,

 

[harry potter]

Dont know about "expert" but IMO you cannot be happy and dirty. So soap and toothpaste and washing powder and paper tissues. Three pairs quick drying grundies, 2 quick dry shirts, ditto shorts, lightweight oilies. You can fly wearing dubarries if you wish but I would go for deck shoes. 2 x sunglasses,

Don't forget your babywipes and your nou nou.

 

[Uricanejack]

Congratulations.
How was your trip? Did you find you took to much stuff you didn’t use or to little and not have stuff you wished you had.
How long did it take.

 

[dunedin]

Congratulations.
How was your trip? Did you find you took to much stuff you didn’t use or to little and not have stuff you wished you had.
How long did it take.

It was a great trip, thanks. I think we were all very lucky with the weather this year. We had moderate winds from behind all the way from Las Palmas to St Lucia, relatively few rain squalls and virtually no engine hours. Hence it was a fast and comfortable crossing for us.

And yes, I took a bit more stuff than needed - but with sailing you never can be really sure of the weather, and hence like the old marketing saying, I knew half the stuff might not be necessary, but unfortunately not which half!

In case of use for others in future, some lessons learnt, starting with my own specific queries ....
- A sleeping bag would have been a big waste of space. I took an inner bag type, with integral pillow case (bought on Amazon) which was perfect for the job and very light.
- Lightweight oilskins or waterproofs, ideally with waterproof shorts, are worth having. We were quite lucky with the weather, but I have seen that on some ARC's crews have used oilskins for the first week. Some of our crew used salopettes and jackets for the first few nights, but I thought that would be far too hot. But some of the rain squalls are very heavy so hence perhaps a lightweight cagoule and waterproof shorts would be ideal.
- Definitely leave the Dubarry's at home. I took my sailing shoes and shower sandals, which were jointly ideal for boat and shore (and dried out in the sun after soakings in showers in Las Palmas), but most of time will be in sandals on shore and bare feet on board.

As expected, quick dry travel shirts and shorts were the mainstay for clothing (I use CragHoppers, which are great and not marine prices). If the boat has a watermaker, taking fewer and some hand wash liquid would be optimal
And definitely plan on getting ARC crew shirts, embroidered with the boat name - ideal for spotting crews of boats in your class or who you saw en route.

As expected, the Kindle worked well. As we ended up hand steering virtually the whole way #, the most important thing was having pre-loaded a lot of music onto my phone and bringing the headphones (plus spare, and a 12V USB charger socket). I also brought a waterproof case, so not drowned in the occasional torrential downpour.
Sunhat with full brim and two cheap small pocket torches were other essentials.

Must say some criticise the ARC as being for softies, and should go independent. But as a first timer, I was very impressed by the professionalism of the World Cruising Club and their very helpful staff in their distinctive yellow t-shirts. And the fact that 150 or so boats are all preparing, leaving and sailing at the same time, and meeting up again in Rodney Bay gives it a great atmosphere and social buzz. Highly recommended.

# Before anybody says, yes it would not be my ideal plan to hand steer the whole way across the Atlantic. I would want a bullet proof auto-pilot with gyro stabiliser to handle the waves better, as ours got a bit overwhelmed at times - not broaching but using too much helm to catch it. Having said that, the overall "winner" of the Cruising fleet of circa 120 boats was also hand steered the whole way - and we ended sailing the whole way under white sails but finishing amongst (and ahead of) similar sized race boats using multiple kites, and ahead of many boats 10 or even 20 foot longer, on the water. Applying time correction we were days ahead of most

 

[Blue Sunray]

VMT for that report

 

[Uricanejack]

It was a great trip, thanks. I think we were all very lucky with the weather this year. We had moderate winds from behind all the way from Las Palmas to St Lucia, relatively few rain squalls and virtually no engine hours. Hence it was a fast and comfortable crossing for us.

And yes, I took a bit more stuff than needed - but with sailing you never can be really sure of the weather, and hence like the old marketing saying, I knew half the stuff might not be necessary, but unfortunately not which half!

In case of use for others in future, some lessons learnt, starting with my own specific queries ....
- A sleeping bag would have been a big waste of space. I took an inner bag type, with integral pillow case (bought on Amazon) which was perfect for the job and very light.
- Lightweight oilskins or waterproofs, ideally with waterproof shorts, are worth having. We were quite lucky with the weather, but I have seen that on some ARC's crews have used oilskins for the first week. Some of our crew used salopettes and jackets for the first few nights, but I thought that would be far too hot. But some of the rain squalls are very heavy so hence perhaps a lightweight cagoule and waterproof shorts would be ideal.
- Definitely leave the Dubarry's at home. I took my sailing shoes and shower sandals, which were jointly ideal for boat and shore (and dried out in the sun after soakings in showers in Las Palmas), but most of time will be in sandals on shore and bare feet on board.

As expected, quick dry travel shirts and shorts were the mainstay for clothing (I use CragHoppers, which are great and not marine prices). If the boat has a watermaker, taking fewer and some hand wash liquid would be optimal
And definitely plan on getting ARC crew shirts, embroidered with the boat name - ideal for spotting crews of boats in your class or who you saw en route.

As expected, the Kindle worked well. As we ended up hand steering virtually the whole way #, the most important thing was having pre-loaded a lot of music onto my phone and bringing the headphones (plus spare, and a 12V USB charger socket). I also brought a waterproof case, so not drowned in the occasional torrential downpour.
Sunhat with full brim and two cheap small pocket torches were other essentials.

Must say some criticise the ARC as being for softies, and should go independent. But as a first timer, I was very impressed by the professionalism of the World Cruising Club and their very helpful staff in their distinctive yellow t-shirts. And the fact that 150 or so boats are all preparing, leaving and sailing at the same time, and meeting up again in Rodney Bay gives it a great atmosphere and social buzz. Highly recommended.

# Before anybody says, yes it would not be my ideal plan to hand steer the whole way across the Atlantic. I would want a bullet proof auto-pilot with gyro stabiliser to handle the waves better, as ours got a bit overwhelmed at times - not broaching but using too much helm to catch it. Having said that, the overall "winner" of the Cruising fleet of circa 120 boats was also hand steered the whole way - and we ended sailing the whole way under white sails but finishing amongst (and ahead of) similar sized race boats using multiple kites, and ahead of many boats 10 or even 20 foot longer, on the water. Applying time correction we were days ahead of most

Thanks,
nice to hear how it went and glad you enjoyed it.

 

[Ladybirdgaffcutter]

Thanks,
nice to hear how it went and glad you enjoyed it.

Seconded, very interesting.

 

[rowanloh]

+1 thanks great info